Process of forming agglomerated carbon black



May l2, 1936. H. tw. GROTE v 2,040,770

y PROCESS oF'FORMIvNG AGGLOMERATED cA'RBoN BLAQK Filed Aug. 22, 193.7'

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Patented May l2, 1936 UNirED STATES PATENTOFFICE CARBON BLACK Hans Walter Grote, Charleston, W. Va., assignor to United Carbon Company, Inc.,'l3altimorel Md., a corporation of Maryland Application August 22, 1933, SerialvNo. 686,311

*shapedA device, having agitators also acting as 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to the production of agglomerates or shaped masses of carbonV block, for the purpose of overcoming some of the objectionable properties vof raw 'carbon black, such as the fmmation of dust, during the handling of the sammduring the mixing of the same with rubber or other materials, and for producing a product which is easier to handle. As is well known, carbon black in its original form is a powdery or more or less "lumpyl material constituted of extremely small particles, so that duringthe handling of the same, air currents may ,blow the same about to some extent, and the ob- `ject of the present invention is to produce agglomerates which will be free from the said objection.

vlin accordance with the present invention, the carbon black is moistened with a volatile liquid, e. g. alcohol, benzol, gasoline, methanol and acetone, but for which purpose water is entirely suit-A able, the mass is stirred and kneaded, to form a rather stiff paste, which is frable incharacter. The said paste is then worked upon an ordinary roller mill, for example a mill consisting of two horizontal rollers rotating in a vertical plane, the rollers may be'o'perated a't sightly different surface speeds, in order to cause the roll-milled material to adhere to one of the rollers, as a compacted layer. When this has been accomplished, another roller carrying needles or other points of similar characteris rotated in such a position that the needles will scratch off the material on the roller, thereby producing shaped masses of the carbon black, which are then subjected to a high temperature drying operation, preferably at a temperature very much above the boilingv point of the volatile solvent employed.

The dried material so produced can then be passed over a series of sieves in order to separate the same into diierent sizes, as required for different particular purposes for which the carbon the purpose of illustration, and not as limiting the scope of the invention thereto.

In' carrying out the process .of the present invention, the carbon black may be fed through a conveyor A, which may be water-jacketed if desired forr cooling purposes, the carbon black falling into the mixer B which may be a trough-l Rassen propellers C. Jets of a suitable vapor or liquid or mist are directed upon the material from the Sprayers or perforated pipes D, and the` proportion of the liquid used should be such as to give a very friable relatively dry pasty mass, in the mixer B.

From the bottom of `the mixer B, the pasty mass is discharged through the chute illustrated, or in any other manner, into the space between the roilsof a roller mill, shown at E and `F. rhese rolls rotate, in the direction of the arrows shown, the peripheral speed of one roller may be slight- -ly greaterl than that of the other so that the moistened carbon forms in a layer G, upon the roller F. The thickness of thislayer will be regulated by the space between the two rollers this being adjustable by means of a screw shown con ventionally at H.

At I is shown a rapidly rotating roller, which can rotate for example inthe direction shown by the arrow K, the surface of theroller carrying a great number of small needle-shaped spikes J. These needles, which are distributed over the entire face of the roller I, scratch off the layer or cake of compressed moistened carbon from the surface of the roller F, this then owing down through the chute L, into the upper end of a rotary drier M, in which the material is dried by being subjected to gases at a high temperature, say 400 to 500 F. in order to rapidly dry the same, and leave the desirable porous friable structure of the finished' material.

The roller I should be situated near enough to the roller F so that the needles will scrape off substantially the whole of the layer of carbon therefrom, the position of said roller being adjusted by 'means of a screw shown at N, or otherwise. The closeness together of the needles J will regulate the size of the particles torn off in this manner, which particles will of course be of more or less irregular shape.

After the drying operation the granular material can be passed over a series of sieves, to separate the same into different particle sizes, and lany particles which are too small for use, as well MAR 1 2 1940' for ordinary purposes I nd that this layer can be froma sixteenth of an inch in thickness to a quarter of-an inch, but I do not restrict myself f to these limits. It any of the moistened carbon is left on the roller F, after passing the roller I, this does no particular harm and will bond with a subsequently applied layer of the paste, to be scratched oi during a subsequent rotation of the roller.

The proportion of water ory other liquid introduced into 'the carbon black in the mixer B is subject to Variation, and for ordinary purposes I nd that about 40% of moisture is very satisfactory. This figure however is given merely by Way of illustration without restricting the invention thereto.

I claim:-

1. The process of converting nely divided and dusty carbon black into a product which is substantially dustless, comprising' moistening carbon black With a `volatile liquid, forming a. thin sheet of the moistened carbon black, subdividing said sheet into small irregularly shaped masses of carbon black agglomerates and drying the said masses, whereby a granular product is formed which is substantially dustless.

2. 'I'he process of converting nely divided and dusty carbon black into a product which is substantially dustless. comprising moistening the carbon black with water to form a stii, pasty mass, forming a compressed sheet of the moistened 'carbon black, subdividing said sheet into small irregularly shaped masses of carbon black agglomerates and drying the said masses, whereby a granular product is formed which is substantially dustless.

3. The process of converting finely divided and dusty carbon black into a product which is substantially dustless, comprising moistening carbon black with water, the amount of water being about 40% of the moistened mass, forming a compressed thin sheet of the moistened carbon black, subdividing said sheet into small irregularly shaped masses of carbon black agglomerates and drying the said masses, whereby a granular product is formed which is substantially dustless.

HANS WALTER GROTE. 

